Rock-drilling system.



PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

No. 739,551. I J. G. LEYNER.

ROCK DRILLING SYSTEM.

APPLIUATIOH FILED OUT. 1, 190$.

2 SHEETPSHEET 1- H0 MODEL.

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lwh m I m 3 W 5 No. 739,551. PATENTBD SEPT. 22, 1903.

J. G. LBYNERL ROCK DRILLINGSYSTEM. AP PLIOATION FILED OUT 1, 1902.

2 SHBETE-SHEBT 2.

N0 MODEL Patented September 22, 1903 JOHN GEORGE LEYNER, OF DENVER, COLORADG.

ROCK-DRILLING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 739,551, dated September 22, 1903. Application iiled October 1,1902; Serial No. 125,638. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I 1 Be it known that 1, JOHN Gnonen Lnrnnn,

a citizen of the United States of America, re

siding at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRock-Drilling Systems; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in' the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new combination of machine elements, which through the medium of compressed air and water, for drilling rock in mines; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide means for conveying air and water in an operative form through pipes and through an operative rockdrilling engine to the bottoms of holes in rock while drilling them; second, to actuate the rock-drill and eject the rock-cuttings from the holes in rock while drilling them. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in' the accompanying drawings, in

whichi 7 Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a system of rock-drilling machinery embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 represents a section through a rock-drill and its storagetank system.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout both views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates an operative air-compressor engine; 2, an air-receiving tank or reservoir.

3 designates an operative rock-drilling engine, of any suitable type, but more especially like the type shown'in United States Patent No.'709,022, issued to me September 16, 1902,

' application SerialNo. 68,80 8, filed by me July 18, 1901, which type of rock-drilling engine.

is particularly adapted to the use ofyh air and water in drilling holes in rock,

4: designates a portable water-storage tank,-

' which is connected to the rock-drilling'erv gine by a hose 5. One'end of the hose 5 is connected to one side of the tank 4, and to the opposite'side of the top of the tank onefiend of a hose 6 is connected. The opposite end of the hose 6 is connected toa T 6", which is inserted in the air-supply pipe 7. The airsupply pipe 7 extends from the air-receiver2 into the workings of the mine. A valve 8 is placed in the hose 6, and a valve 9 is preferably placed in'the air-pipe 7. A hose 7 extends from the T 6 to the valve of the rock drilling engine. The air-receiving tank is connected by a pipelO with the air-compressor,anda valve 11is insertedin the pipe 10.

The portable water-tank 4 is a small iron tank,

preferably of about eighteen gallons capacity. Its top isprovided with a water-inlet aperture 12, which is closed bya' cap 12*, which is threaded to a projecting nipple 13, that is formed on top of the tank.

The hose 5"is connected in any suitable manner toone end of a'pipe 14, that projects above the tank (see Fig. 3) and depends into the tank, its lower end being positioned close to the bottom ofthe tank in order to practically empty the tank.

The hose 6 is secured in any suitable vinannor to a short nipple 15, that is secured in the top ofthe tank and extends simply through it.

The rock-drilling engine may be in all respects like the type of com'pressedair rockdrilling engines in common use, except that it is arranged and adapted to convey a stream of water through it. I preferably use arockdrilling engine designed as shown in Fig. 2, consisting of. the cylinder 16, front cylinderhead 1'7, rear cylinder-head l8, supplementary cylinder-head 19,a piston 20, which is provided with a ram portion 31, that extends into the front cylinder-head, the peripheral surface of which is provided with flutes 32, that slide loosely in a nut 33, which is threaded to a chuck 34, that fits into the front cylinder-head 17, a feed-screw 21, and supporting-shell'22, and a drill-bit 23, and a suitable valyemechanisrn 24. The drill-bit is removat y mounted in the'front cylinder-head. The

(1 11-bit 23 contains an axial bore through it fromefid to end. This axial bore is preferably made in two diameters 25 and 25 the larger being at the hammer-striking end of the drillbit and the smaller at the rock-cutting end of the drill, the two apertures intersecting each other Within the drill-bit, which-is operatively supported in the front cylinder-head 17 of the drilling-engine in the clutch 34. The waterhose 5 is connected to a coupling 25, that is supported by a supplementary cylinder-head 19, that is secured to the main cylinder-head. This coupling communicates, by means of a passage 26, with an axial bore 27, formed in' the supplementary cylinder-head 19. A valve 28 is arranged in the coupling of the sup plementary cylinderhead and controls the passage 26. A t-ube 24 is secured in the inner end of the supplementary cylinder-head and extends loosely through an axial aperture 30 in the piston 20 of the drill and extends loosely into the larger axial hole in the drill-bit.

The above-described arrangement of the water-passage through the rock-drilling engine is the preferred construction; but a suitable passage could be made through another part of the drilling-engine or along the side of it and along the side of the drill-bit or through the side of the drill-bit. I do not illustrate these several arrangements, as the arrangement shown is much preferred to any other. The valve and piston actuating mechanism is substantially similar to that of rockdrilling engines in common use.

The operation of my system is as follows:'

An air-compressor and an air-receiver or airreservoir tank is placed at the entrance to the mine, as shown in Fig. 1, and an air-supply pipe is extended into the workings of the mine to points near to where rock-drilling Work is to be done. The rock-drilling engine is then set up in an operative position to drill rock, and its valve mechanism is connected by a hose 7 to the air-supply pipe,which leads to the air-receiver. The water-coupling of the rock-drill is then connected to one end of a hose 5, which leads and is connected at its opposite end to the portable water-storage tank. This hose 5 is connected to the pipe 14:, that extends close to the bottom of the tank. The tank is then connected by the hose 6 and nipple 15 and the T 6 with the air-supply pipe 7 and by this pipe with the air receiver and compressor. Sufficient surplus length of hose is provided between the portable water- I tank and the rock-drill to enable the-tank to be placed in recesses in the side Walls of the mines workings and to allow the tank to be moved around at will byattendants,which can be very easily done. The tank is filled with water by removing its cap 12. Air is compressed by the air-compressor into the air-receiver, where a suitable working pressure is maintained to effectually operate the rockdrilling engine at the end of the system. The air from the receiver flows direct to the valve mechanism of the rock-drilling engine and also flows direct into the portable water-tank and forces the water therein out through the pipe 14 and hose 5 to the coupling of the rockdrilling engine and into and through its drillbit to the bottom of the hole being drilled in the rock A A. A portion of the compressed air in the forward end of the cylinder at each stroke of the piston passes through the flutes of the ram of the piston and enters the drillbit and mingles with the water and drives the Water'out of the drill-bit against the bottom of the hole being drilled in the rock, thus not only keeping the hole thoroughly wet, and thus making the rock easier to drill, but preventing the dust incidental to dry drilling, and also drives or blows out of the hole as it is being drilled the rock-cuttings, which, above everything, is the essential object to be attained, as it entirely obviates the necessity of removing the drill-bit everyfew inches it drills into the rock to remove the rock-cuttings manually with a spooning-tool,

tion with an operative air-compre'ssor,an air- 7 receiving reservoir, an air-supply system, and the rock-cutting drill-bit, with a portable Water-storage tank, connected to said airsupply system, an air-operating rock-drilling engine, operatively connected with said airsupply system, and operatively connected with said air-actuated portable water-storage tank, and means connected with said rockdrilling engine for mingling said air and water together and for conveying said commingled air and water to the cutting-pointof said drill-bit, substantially as described.

2. In a rock-drilling system the combination with an operative compressed-air system, a portable water-storage tank containing a supply of water inconnection with said airsupply system, and an operative rock-drilling engine operatively connected to said'compressed-air system and operatively connected to said portable water-storage tank to secure a stream of water therefrom, and means connected with said rock-drilling engine including a hollow drill-bit for commingling said air and water together and discharging said commingled air and water through said drillbit to its rock-cutting point, substantially as described.

3. In a rock-drilling system, the combination with an operative air-compress0r,.an air receiver or reservoir, an air-supply system, 7

and the rock-cutting drill-bit,of a compressedair-actuated rock-drilling engine, operatively connected to said compressed-air supply-pipe system, and containing a water-passage to the cutting-point of its rock-cutting drill-bit,

hose connection with said compressed --airsupply system, and a water-inlet to said tank,

said air-distributing system, a rockrcntting drill-bit removably secured to said drillingengine, means for controlling the supply of 7 water and air flowing to said rock-drill, means including suitable air and water passages in said rock-drilling engine for mingling said water and air together, and for discharging said commingled air and water together from the cutting-point of said drill-bit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN GEORGE LEYNER. Witnesses:

CLARENCE A. LAWSON, .GEo. R. GRIEVE. 

